The Pat and Barb Verly family and their 5 children, in laws and grandkids along with many prayer warriors have been drawn together by John's cancer... sharing daily for 8 months started this blog- Family Soul Story - Our faith, family, farm and now our cancer journey called HEALING have colored and deepened our world. WE continue to share and depend on the support of our prayer warrior community, that has lowered us into the Lord's presence for His healing!
5th Sunday of Lent for Deacon Robert Cross/4th set of twins!/"The hour" comes
Jude has to show grandma his birthday gift from the celebration they had with his two uncles before they headed back home to Oregon and California. A wonderful rosary from "Chews LIFE" Yes, they are something he can chew on and pray on and that goes hand in hand with little ones. We in fact do with our whole hearts choose LIFE!
Birdie was quickly in grandpa's arms and was so very good through mass!
John lectored today and let me know that this mass on the 5th Sunday of Lent at 8a was for my dad - Deacon Robert Cross! Such a blessing that there were 14 of our family there to celebrate and pray for dad throughout the mass!
Sharing mass with Ruth and Paul and their 6 adds to our Family time sharing our Faith! There is nothing better than sharing our Faith as a family, and even knowing that we are united with our military family 2 days away in the mass and our nun in France for the year, and our family in Delano!
This picture says so much from our family mass we shared this week in Delano for Bill's sister, Amy, who died from pancreatic cancer a month ago in PA! Jesus unites Heaven and earth!
Before mass Pat spent an hour with the 4th set of twins born in the early morning hours... the white face like her mom is a nice heifer and her twin brother, a black bull!
Jude sharing mass with mom and dad, baby sister, 10 month old Birdie, and grandma and grandpa... a mass for his great-grandfather, Deacon Robert, who prayed for him and now continues from heaven - first and middle name!
Also sharing mass with Joy and her family! Birdie is so good, and with her little thumb - she is following in the examples of her 4 Aunts - all 4 girls sucked their thumbs and were the best babies a mom could ask for!
I was so impressed by an article in the Catholic Servant by retired Bishop LeVoir on St JPII! It reminded me of how touched I was by an Encyclical St JPII wrote about the Eucharist!
8. When I think of the Eucharist, and look at my life as a priest, as a Bishop and as the Successor of Peter, I naturally recall the many times and places in which I was able to celebrate it. I remember the parish church of Niegowić, where I had my first pastoral assignment, the collegiate church of Saint Florian in Krakow, Wawel Cathedral, Saint Peter’s Basilica and so many basilicas and churches in Rome and throughout the world. I have been able to celebrate Holy Mass in chapels built along mountain paths, on lakeshores and seacoasts; I have celebrated it on altars built in stadiums and in city squares… This varied scenario of celebrations of the Eucharist has given me a powerful experience of its universal and, so to speak, cosmic character. Yes, cosmic! Because even when it is celebrated on the humble altar of a country church, the Eucharist is always in some way celebrated on the altar of the world. It unites heaven and earth. It embraces and permeates all creation. The Son of God became man in order to restore all creation, in one supreme act of praise, to the One who made it from nothing. He, the Eternal High Priest who by the blood of his Cross entered the eternal sanctuary, thus gives back to the Creator and Father all creation redeemed. He does so through the priestly ministry of the Church, to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity. Truly this is the mysterium fidei which is accomplished in the Eucharist: the world which came forth from the hands of God the Creator now returns to him redeemed by Christ.
This reminds me of how The Church is universal in Word, Body and blood each day no matter how magnificent or tiny that church may be !
Mom found Evangeline hard at work on a portrait of Maria and her baby girl!
Mommy and Maggie! Soon she will be here to hold and to make our love bigger!
Verly steak for dad's 40th birthday! Nancy and Bill sent us this picture of them loving Verly meat on this special celebration! We love you, Bill!
Simon and Mary team up on the trays of doughnuts and coffee cake for our Sunday Feast to celebrate our time with Jesus in Word, Body and Blood!
Fr's homily today was about how "The hour" refers to a very important happening that we look forward to and strive for... With my dad in mind at this mass in a special way - I reflected on how he lived his faith here for those 6 months leading up to the hour of his death from this world and passing into the next where he was welcomed with open arms!
Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be...." John 12 - the Gospel from mass today!
Praying over our food!
It makes me smile to see Rose Again wearing her white bow from our family picture this summer! The Jean jacket I bought second hand up in Wisconsin while I was visiting my mother a few years back. It was a birthday gift to Mary and she wore it a lot, and now Rose is looking good in it! A very special find indeed!
Out to see a tiny bottle calf that Rose is feeding and is now her adopted mom...
Not much bigger than their dog, and healthy!
3 day old baby chicks are still soft and cute!
The twins - #4 set and counting.
Enjoying the nice weather out of the wind, which is whipping around out there!
Out to see the chickens in their new chicken house thanks to Ruth's family and grandpa Pat!
Eggs and her bow blown out of her hair by the wind!
Sweet Angela, my sister in law, who just went through chemo and radiation for the 4th time in her life! She found these heavy glass old city street globes that she had to dumpster dive to get free from St Paul recycling! Wow!
I love how St Francis is lit up by the luminary and the gorgeous blue night sky over them in their peaceful home in SCF!
It was cool to read today from Brother Victor about St Benedict having a path straight to heaven lined with luminous lights - myriads of them! I reminded Angela that "your suffering has lined your path with LIGHT from luminaries!
Paul sent this picture taken from cow TV - proof positive that grandma was in the barn this Sunday morning!
Speaking of St Francis lit up on the path of light - I shared with my Chacha this great sharing today from a Lenten daily meditation from St Mother Theresa of Calcutta! It speaks about how, as St Francis had the stigmata on his body and shared in the suffering of Christ...
"But the truth is that we are all stigmatists; we all bear the wounds of Christ, not by any merit of ours, but by God's pure gift... to share in the wounds of Christ is a great honor."
Jesus, May we join with you in sharing your Cross/suffering/wounds as we die to self and allow you to work in and through us as your hands, feet and voice of Truth. May we serve without counting the cost - "Wounded, I will never cease to love." So hard to do... give us the strength. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen
Ruth and Paul having their marriage blessed by St JPII in November of 2003 a few days after their marriage - they flew to Rome with their wedding clothes in the suitcase! "Please, bless us with a happy healthy family." Prayers answered and continue to be answered with each new day. Bless-bless, Barbara
Susan receiving Eucharist from Pope Benedict XVI about 15 years ago or more in Rome. So blessed by The Church in our marriage and our domestic Church/family! Also my family of 13 which thanks to mom and dad all came into The Church 50 years ago!
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